


I'm the villain.

by LondonTF



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Childhood Trauma, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, hero - Freeform, villain, villain x hero - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:53:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25422715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LondonTF/pseuds/LondonTF
Summary: Noe, fingers grazing the edge of death, realizes he's not the hero in this story.
Kudos: 5





	I'm the villain.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [writing prompt](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/652897) by maris mckay. 



> I am NOT an experienced writer. Feel free to critique, i wrote this at like 3-5 am and cant be bothered to post it later so.. forgive me for spelling and grammatical errors, i was in a writing rush

He muffled his shock as he was slammed against the cave walls, desperately ignoring the howling storm that's cold just nipped his skin. He quickly drew out his blade, but it was knocked away from his hands, flinging out into the howling winds. He felt the bile in his throat rising, and he found himself thrashing without purpose. How did he find him? He was in the middle of a snowstorm! In the middle of nowhere! He thought he had lost this buffoons trail!

Thoughts weren't getting him anywhere, though. He swept his attacker's feet out from under him, and dropped to the floor delicately. He reached out to his spirit, and called for the help of water. He stepped into a defensive stance, and felt the familiar weight of water drip into his limbs. He narrowly dodged the man after him, and pushed his water out onto his boots, the water freezing almost instantaneously. Noe sighed in relief, glancing over the man just mere inches from stabbing him. "Aren't you quite the asshole? How did you follow me out here?" 

"..."

"Not a talker, huh?"

Noe just let out an amused sigh, and stepped forward to gently remove the knife from the man. Speaking of him, he was dressed head to toe in the local villages warrior clothing, warm enough to get through a storm but not enough to hider battle because of the heat. Noe sighed and looked up at the man, a plain, boring, white mask was on his face. A trademark look, actually. It was the same man who was always trying to kill him. He knew because of the way he fought, which at that point had been permanently engraved in his mind. Even if they were multiple people learning from the same master, they would have their nuances. But there was none to find, it was always the same man. 

Noe inspected the knife, and found a small fire insignia on the hilt. He laughed a bit, glancing up once again at the burly, aggressive man before him. 

"You WOULD have a fire spirit."

"The fucks that suppose to mean?"

Noe stared now. His voice was graveling, threatening, but almost... delicate. He sounded like he was prepared to be hurt but he wasn't *ready* to be hurt. 

"Y'know, stalking, attacking, significantly weaker in the snow.."

"Stop acting high and mighty because of your spirit! You're a horrible person!"

Noe scoffed and looked up at this mask wearing fool, he would be amused if it wasn't so stupid.

"I'm restoring balance, that's my role with a water spirit. Love and hate are very similar emotions, y'know."

The man growled and attempted to lurch at him despite his frozen feet. "That isn't an excuse for what you've done! You've split the tribe into two!"

"Yeah, and? That was important, they've been too comfortable with their lives, they weren't growing."

The man growled and started desperately shifting his feet in an attempt to break free, but he was weak here, surrounded by water. Noe huffed in annoyance. When the erratic shifting didn't stop, Noe stood up and reached out for the man's mask.

"Don't fucking touch me, water scum!" The man, in an attempt to move back, fell flat on his back with his feet still stuck in ice. Noe took the opportunity to freeze his arms onto the cave floor. 

Noe hummed peacefully to himself and slashed at the mask straps with the man's own knife, gently lifting the mask up to reveal..

A teen. A literal teen, with baby cheeks and an extreme desire for violence had been attempting to kill him this whole time. Noe choked with laughter.  
"Oh spirit help me, oh my, HOW? How did you manage this? You're just a kid!" 

He flushed red and attempted to break out of the ice, "Shut up, water scum! You're nothing but a monster to me, I don't need to be 85 to want justice!"

"Oh, piss off! This world would be in shambles without the water spirits! Though, I must say, I didn't expect to have more then one fire spirit chasing after me."

The man- oh, sorry, *boy*, growled and thrashed, "Shut up! No fire spirit wants you, monster!"

Noe laughed and patted his head, "Yes, one does. That's the natural balance of things, eventually I'll come across my fire spirit, and they'll chase me around and want to always be with me, but not have an explanation for why. It'll be amazing, and they'll take care of you for me."

"Why don't you just fight me yourself, coward?" He had calmed down now, his voice calmer, like he had accepted he was stuck there.

Noe stared off into the snow, "It's not my place to take on a fire spirit."

"You're an idiot! Just fight me! Nobody believes in spirit bullshit anymore, you don't have an excuse for destroying families and civilization for entertainment anymore!"

Noe whipped around to face the boy, twisting the water around his limbs tighter, "Fool! The spirits are greater then you or I, we follow them, not your foolish leaders!" He stood up, pacing back and forth, slashing into the cave walls, "You can't run away from destiny, you can't sit inside huts and tell yourself everything will be fine forever!" 

Noe fell to his knees and stabbed the knife into the ground, "I'm here to improve the world, and everyone knows it!"

Noe and the boy sat in silence, waiting out the storm. Noe felt himself drifting away, but he always forced the water in his fingertips to flash through him violently. He hadn't slept in a few days, he realized. It didn't matter though, there was someone with him now, he could sleep once he lost his trail. 

".. Why do your gloves keep glowing?"

Noe glanced at the boy, who was staring directly into his eyes. 

"I'm forcing my water into active so I don't fall asleep."

The boys eyes narrowed. "No wonder you're so insane, you don't sleep if you're worried."

Noe rolled his eyes, "It keeps you off track."

"I don't think avoiding socialization by not sleeping is really a smart thing to do. 

Noe sighed and glared at the boy harshly, "I'm fulfilling my purpose, wants come second."

"Basic human NEEDS do *not* come second, water."

"My name is Noe, asshat."

"Mine is Brooks but you aren't gonna call me that, are you?"

"... that's pretty cute."

"You're hopeless!"

A few hours later, Brooks was intently watching Noe, as he was almost constantly firing his power off now, and the storm didn't seem like it would be ending soon. Brook memorized the patterns, he could tell Noe's body was begging him to sleep, and while using spirit power was smart, it was going to be damaging no matter what. So, he waited.  
And waiting worked.

Noe was slumped against the cave wall, no doubt in an extremely deep sleep, and Brook had his opportunity.

He reached out and could just barely grab his knife, enough to channel his fire power and force it into the blade. The ice was soon melting.

It took quite a while to free himself, and he noticed the water flowed into Noe like a gentle stream as it was melting. Brook had to take a moment to fire his power up and into his veins, which wasn't ideal but he needed the warmth. He tucked his knife away and pulled out his duel broadswords, firing his power into them to help him feel them better, and waited.

Noe blinked awake, and noticed the storm had fallen into a gentle snow. He slowly trailed his gaze over the cave, and furrowed his brows, gently pushing himself off the cave wall, and then it hit him. 

He sprung up just as a sword came crashing down onto the place where he was sitting, he looked outside and notice the sun was rising just enough to shine into the cave, and knew he was outmatched. He swiftly dodged attacks, and called out to his spirit as strongly as he could, but it wasn't answering. Still, he pushed his spirit for his water, so he could escape unharmed and free to continue his purpose. He was not answered, he couldn't even feel the snow.

Then, it happened.

He was pinned against the cave floor, tucked between Brooks legs, broadsword against his throat. He knew, now, that this was it. This was over. He relaxed, even as the blade drew slight blood. "Will you really give your life up for destiny?"

Noe looked up at him, and saw the pain in his face, he looked at the frost burn on his hands and the haunted look in his eyes, and then he understood.

To the fire spirit, no, to anyone, besides him, he was a destroyer of homes, a false spirit, a villain, thief, monster, someone to be hated and condemned, and he knew why. To bring balance he brought destruction, he burned and tarnished and started wars, he would force fights and violence and his name struck fear into those he left and would meet. He knew, because there was HIS fire spirit talking to him, right in front of him, holding a knife to his throat to stop him. He didn't know how he didn't see the signs, this spirit was obsessed with him, went through treacherous lands and horrible people to get to him, and he understood. Fire spirits weren't there to be water spirit partners, they were there to stop destruction, restore balance.

Noe let his glamour fade away, revealing himself as a young boy too, much like Brooks, if it weren't for the water insignia burnt into his cheek.

Brooks starred.

And starred.

He placed the swords on the ground.

He propped Noe against the cave wall, and ran his fingers over the burn. 

"...Noe..."

"Please, I get it now. I understand what you are to me now. You can kill me."

"...Stop."

Noe frowned, and felt Brooks pull his gloves off. 

Brooks sucked in a breath. 

Noe's hands were covered in hideous burn marks, stretching up his arms and most prominent around his wrists. His method to keep himself awake was not the cause of this, this was a fire spirit. Brook gently unbuttoned Noe's tunic, and just... stared. There were words burned into his skin, vile words describing his failures, his 'bad feelings", and his denial of his "purpose." 

"Noe... who did this to you?"

Noe blinked, slightly dazed, and smiled a bit, "My mother."

Brooks buried his face in Noe's neck, and let his tears stream down his cheeks, hugging him tightly. 

"Noe.. Noe.. please," Brooks hiccuped, "You don't think it's okay, do you?"

Noe was tense against Brooks embrace, but he nuzzled into his shoulder a bit. "...... no." He admitted, quietly, ashamed. 

Brooks leaned a bit away, and whipped his face off, refusing Noe's tunic when it was offered to him.

Brooks looked over Noe's water insignia, that was delicately burnt into his face, and he pressed his fingers into it, finding the small, gentle part of his spirit, and fanning it's flame. 

Noe's insignia started glowing, and Noe relaxed in Brooks arms, obviously finding comfort in whatever it was Brooks was doing.

When Brooks pulled his hand away, the insignia had faded significantly, not enough to be unnoticeable, but enough to look less like a scar. 

'Noe... You don't have to follow a future that was already laid out for you, that's not how it works in this world."

Brooks gently pulled Noe up into his arms, and smoothed his hair out.

"You can be saved, water spirit," He smiled down at Noe. "You're coming to *my* village."


End file.
